What do you think about these?

[Caitlin]

I posted this and the forum changed just as I did so it looks like it got lost.

I am practicing my photography and I want to see how this picture I took on macro looks when it is all reduced.

I am curious what the experts around here think about these little guys.

 

[jerin]

"Dirty" pearls photo from Caitlin

"Dirty" pearls photo from Caitlin

Hi Caitlin,

are these freswater pearls? The drillholes seem to be enormous! And on one of the pearls it looks like the nacre is peeling... I could be mistaken though, otherwise I think the photo is good, you can make out surface blemishes and so on.

Zeide,

do you know the brand of the soap? My daughter is going to Germany in a couple of months and perhaps she could get hold of a couple of bars. I could send one to Caitlin since you do have some left.


Inge

 

[Zeide Erskine]

Kernseife

Kernseife

Hi Inge,

It's called Kernseife in German. Since sailing is a big sport in Sweden (as in Northern Germany) you can probably get Deckseife which is regular soap that works well with saltwater. It sells in huge hard cakes or buckets in a semihardened form and is used to wash the wooden decks of sailboats.

Zeide

 

[Caitlin]

Here is a post-wash picture. It is magnified to the point of blurry-half this size and the picture is much sharper.

 

[Caitlin]

Inge
Here is another picture which will explain why the holes look so big. It is a pre-washed version.

The middle strand is CFWP 8mm, the top strand is black CFWP 10+mm

(I was unable to upload this after I posted and forgot it. there was only a place to upload form a url- that I could see....) Ok You hit "go advanced" to get tha function......

 

[Caitlin]

Here is a little bit less enlarged picture. It is also rotated.

They are not CFWP.

They have been in my family since the 40's.

 

[Caitlin]

Some are cream beige, two or three have some blue or green. Actually, few of them match for color. They are all over the place in shades of off white. One, smaller than a radish seed, has a brilliant mirror.

I don't know how to adjust the pictures for the greenish tint. Ok I just took this photo into photo shop and fooled with the levers until the tray color looks like it does. That third pearl from the left is the one that was so dirty in the first photo. You can still see the peeling nacre, but joy of joys more nacre undeneath!

 

[Satine De La Courcel]

Hi Caitlyn,

I like the pictures you have taken, I also like teh eveolution and cleaning of the pearls they look even niver now they are clean...

 

[Caitlin]

Thanks Ashby
About 1 out of 20 pix is getting better!

I went back and redid all the pictures with less green. Does that help?

Anyone want to make a guess what these are?

 

[Zeide Erskine]

Bahraini pearls

Bahraini pearls

Hi Caitlin,

Six Bahrainis one Qatar (third from the right).

 

[Caitlin]

Wow! That is discernment! I can plainly see the difference in the color on the inside as seen through the hole.

In this picture, the qatari is 5th from the right. There is a third row of teensy tiny ones but it was blurry in this photo.

I'll try to get another one.

 

[Zeide Erskine]

Tamil Nardu

Tamil Nardu

This picture has on the bottom row the second on the left a dead ringer for a Tamil Nardu. Anyhow, do you know why the Qatar pearl has the red glow to the drill hole? It's from gold salt (aurum chloride) that is found in only one undersea freshwater vent off the coast of Qatar. It accumulates in conchiolin and causes a red reflection from the drill hole and opalescent peach glow in the mirror of the pearl.

Zeide

 

[Caitlin]

Now this one is too blue, but I'll deal with it tomorrow.

There are a dozen or so pearls that were blurry so I cropped them out of th

 

[Zeide Erskine]

More purrls

More purrls

Hi Caitlin,

The sixth from the bottom on the left row and possibly the first, too, look like Portugese drill. That would indicate that they were drilled to be set on wire. They are probably the oldest ones (my guess is 200 years+) of the bunch. Having the drill holes fully visible tends to tell you a lot.

Zeide

 

[Caitlin]

Tamil Nardu? Please elaborate.

No I did not know why the orange. My oh my. How exciting. This little collection of pearls has always been my education in pearls. It has a lot to teach. I just imbibed the colors and the iridescence as a kid. The cultured pearls never looked like this.

The reason this collection is such a grab bag of pearls is that my grandfather dove for many of them himself. He had his own pearling dhow for years moored at his island, Uma Sabaan, off the coast of Bahrain.

I have several pictures of my grandmother wearing his pearls.

 

[Zeide Erskine]

Tamil Nardu

Tamil Nardu

Hi Caitlin.

Tamil Nardu is the region where the Tamil people live and in pearl world refers to pearls found off the Indian and Sri Lankan coasts. They tend to be whiter and have a distinct "melt" meaning that their water, mirror, and orient combine to an effect where the light around the pearl tends to melt into the light equivalent of song. If you put them under a strong clear light bulb you will see immediately what I am talking about about.

Zeide

 

[Caitlin]

The first time I wore the necklace made from these pearls, I was 7 and wore it to the opera, Carmen I wore a white satin long sleeve blouse with faux pearl buttons, and Navy blue silk moire skirt and maryjanes. I was so proud, I can still remember the outfit! My mother kept the necklace in her jewelry box, but it was earmarked for me and came out on special occasions.

 

[jerin]

Natural Pearls

Natural Pearls

Caitlin,

forgive me for thinking of your natural pearls as freshwater pearls. I naturally did observe the article "natural" but since the drillholes seemed to be so large, I didn?t think it possible for them to be the "real" stuff. They are very interesting to look at and especially the one from Bahrain with the orange glow at the drillhole was fascinating. It is fascinating that Zeide can see so much more in every pearl.

I do understand that you are proud of your pearls, Caitlin and so you should be. I wish that I owned at least one natural (old) pearl, just for the fun of it!

Inge

 

[Caitlin]

Hi Inge

Well, though I was FAIRLY positive these pearls are Bahraini- with the nature of family myth, you never really know. So many of my friends have sent me pearls "to look at" -from Greece or wherever- and they are faux, just plain faux.

Now Goldenpearl has a necklace to be Proud of. It is so magnificent.

My little collection can be heaped up on a tablespoon whereas GP's Nabatees are a double handful and more. My little collection is a scrapbook of my Mickey's experiences with pearls, but its intrinsic value is probably about as low as it gets for Gulf pearls. Please correct me if needed. (I am imagining showing these to a Gulf dealer and him trying to be polite, but hemming and hawing and mentioning the various flaws and the extreme tiny size and finally saying that they are of great sentimental value- the jewelers way of saying they are of negligible cash value!

If you stop to think- this kind of pearls probably makes up the vast bulk of Persian Gulf pearls- tiny and off round. The Nabatee is a Queen of a necklace, my little guys are probably aqmong the odds and ends that stayed with the pearling families.

 

[Satine De La Courcel]

Zeide,

You sure know your pearls!!! I could lsten to your lectures all day long!
I have learned so much from you!

Caitlyn,

your pictures are gettin much better. (I will try not to type when I can not sleep at night...LOL) anyway they are just georgous and I relly like that they "pick up" or "reflect color" from the colors arround the pearls. I feel it gives them charachter and a distinctive personality.... I wouldlove to see pictures once you are done with your brooch

Cheers